The interrogation

BY ©Kester Kanayo.

I feel a rough splash of water on my body and face, and I awake to a huge figure walking away. The room is dark. My body aches. I look up as the light flickers, it doesn't come on. The smell here makes me shiver, there's a heavy stench and my nostrils can't take it all in. I look down, tilting my head to the left a bit, in pains, and I see my hand cuffed to the arm of the seat, my legs in huge chains....I'm really in pains. My legs refuse to move an inch.
"How did I get here?" I think to myself.
(The figure sits. Obviously he's male)

"I'll only ask you these questions once, and you are to answer truthfully. Am I clear?" He yells.
I have a deep voice, but this one is deeper. Every sounds makes me quiver. I shake. I look up as I try to make out the face. But the room is dark.
"Am I clear???" This time he screams so loud I could hear his vocal cords vibrate.
"Yes sir, yes sir." I'm scared to death.
I've been a troublemaker since I can remember, and now I'm faced with the challenge of going through every archive of stored up troublesome events I've been involved in to see which of them got me into this mess. I can't seem to arrive at any.
"On the 26th of may 2017, where were you?" He asks authoritatively, as if he were a recruit and this was my first day in training.
"Mehn, that's a long time I don't remember."
"Stupid humans. That's the night you had a quarrel with your dad."
"And you know this how?" I glance around and realize withholding of information would do me no good.
"Well, yes, I was home.., I had a quarrel with my dad because he was drunk. He shouldn't be drinking (trying to justify myself) he has diabetics already. Does he want to die?" I added.
"And what was your advice to him?" He asks again.
This time I paused to take a look at him as if to ask how that information helps my current predicament.
"I asked him to quit it of course. I love him and I don't want him to die." I finally reply.
"What happened on the 15th of July, 2015?" He asks quickly, allowing me no breather.
"Wtf man, what are you doing? Playing with my head? How am I supposed to know? Was there a world war or something?" I shriek, admist all the pains I feel.
I'm all tensed now as he moves two steps closer. He's just as built as I am, I imagine I could take him out on a one on one. "But Damn! How did I get into this mess?" I think, almost aloud.
"Your friend Matthew was diagnosed of gonorrhea... Does that spark a memory?"
I'm left in awe. How on earth does he know this? It is supposed to be a secret between the doctor, Matthew and I. The walls really do have ears, I suppose.
"I remember now. What has that got to do with me?" I reply, trying not to show any sign of weakness.
"What was your advice to him?"
Again, this question.
"I asked him to quit womanizing before he eventually dies from it... I was only trying to be the good friend that I am."

"On the 25th of..."

I cut in just before he could finish up.
"Shut up man. Just shut up. Not again. No dates. Are you mad? I don't remember. I don't want to remember" I blurt out.
This time I'm really angry, I tried to pull on the chains which eventually frees up a bit. I can feel my legs now.
He shuts up and walks back to his seat. We stay there in silence for some minutes. I feel a bit of strength as he retreats to his seat. I look up and he's just staring.
This silence is deafening.
"Did you say 25th? 25th of what?" I finally break the silence.
"25th of December 2017." He replies calmly.
"That's the day I had that freaking accident that almost claimed my life." I get mad at remembering the incident. I had pulled on on both the leg and hand brakes of my bike in a bit to avoid hitting a stray dog. I had somersaulted into a drainage. My bike was badly damaged, but somehow I came out with just bruises on my knee.

"What was your advice to yourself?" He continued with the questions, calmly.
"I told myself I needed to be careful next time and ride slower."
"So, what happened between 6: 30 am and 8am on the 1st of January 2018"
"Well, I went on an errand to a neighboring town, on my bike"
"How fast did you drive?"
'How does that matter? Who made you judge?"
"How fast did you drive?" He asks, almost shouting.
"80km/h on a 100km/h bike..." I reply, beginning to feel tensed and afraid.

I start to feel the pains again, the cuffs shrinks back to its previous mode. Everything starts coming back. Seems, whenever he raises his voice, I start to feel pain, and whenever I show him no fear, he retreats back to his seat. I begin to work the maths. I should show him no fear.
"What happened to the advice you gave to yourself?" He asks.
"Who the fuck are you and how do you even know all these?" I reply. This time, I'm raged. I could feel my veins burn over my new discovery, as it begins to play out.

I try to shake my hands, he moves backward a bit. That move, I could tell he was afraid. I shake more often as my anger increases. He retreats.
"I asked you a question." I yelled. 'Who the fuck are you?' I add.
He flinches. I pause. Like what? I'm shocked! Even this big guy is moved by words.
I try to stand... And the chains fall off.. I walk, and these aches don't hurt. I move closer to this timid monster.
He cowers in fear to my disbelief.
I bend over to reach for his throat, so he could feel the heat.
I seize him by the wrist instead....

"Who are you?" My voice towered.

I was in charge now, and I wasn't gonna let this chance go down the pipeline.

He hit the switch and turned the light on..
Like a masquerade that just took it's mask off.
My mouth agape, like I just walked into a time bomb.
How come? Its like I'm looking at a mirror.
I see myself.
He begins to talk.
"I'm sorry, I'm the one they talk about. You can call me your conscience. I'm supposed to be in charge, but most times when I say a word you shut me up.
Like when you were speeding, I tried to warn you. But you said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". You never thought maybe that's what your dad thought to himself, maybe that's why he kept drinking. You never thought that's what your friend thought to himself, maybe that's why he kept womanizing. You always want to change them, yet you don't change yourself. You keep doing the same thing over and over again. I'm sorry it had to get to this. But I am you, and I just want you to do what's right." He raps.

It all made sense now. Everytime I said "fuck it, you only live once" I just shut my conscience up.
And this happens to us all... We tend to want to change others, even when we have much work to do on ourselves. We fail to realize the log in our eyes as we pay attention to the perks in that of others.
What if we work on ourselves? What if we always did what's right by our standards... Maybe, just maybe there'd be nothing to correct anymore and one body at a time, we'd make the world a better place.

The interrogation.

©Kester Kanayo.